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Best budget over ear headphones to date IMO!

I bought these puppies about a year ago since I needed over ear headphones for traveling and when I walk the dog. I couldn´t be happier for what I paid. I´m in to the heavier spectrum of music and I heard that Grado was to dog in the cheaper segment. Yeah I wasn´t disappointed! This is hands down the best over ear headphones I tried in terms of price/performance for metal. I rock these bad boys with my iPhone and Spotify and blast KoRn, Soilwork, Bring me the horizon etc and I´m super happy.

Only thing I could ever complain about is that my ears heat up after SEVERAL hours of listening due to the foam. But this is seldom a problem in my life anyways with jobs, kids and dogs. I guess the could be foldable but for the price thats asking for to much I guess.

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Awesome, awesome, awesome for the money!

Every so often, while walking about town listening to my iPod, I see someone with a pair of SR-60s on their head and we exchange a smile. Why? Because to own a pair of SR60s is to be let in on a secret - affordable, iPod-friendly headphones can sound so much better than most would ever have thought possible!

Before buying my SR60s, I had owned and auditioned several pairs of similarly priced cans from Sennhesier, Technics, Beyer Dynamic and Goldring - all of which had seemed reasonable at the time, but were quickly put in their place upon first hearing the Grados. I listen to a wide variety of music, much of which is fairly bass driven but I've found that most manufacturers seem to emphasise the low end too much. I imagine a large percentage of those buying sub £100 headphones will be upgrading from in-ear models, and bigger bass will be a big attraction, although the result is often boxy and fatiguing. The Grados by comparison have a much more balanced sound. The bass is not lacking, it is warm and punchy, but it isn't beating the mid and upper frequencies into submission and you get a good sense of detail throughout the frequency spectrum. I really recommend going into a shop with your iPod and testing a pair out for yourself. Oh, and if you do, maybe take a copy of one of the following albums, all of which sound amazing on the SR-60s and cover quite a wide musical spectrum:Kid A - Radiohead, Bon Iver - Bon IverMesmerize/Hypnotize - System of a DownDesire - Bob DylanLove King - The-Dream

In case you haven't noticed, I love these headphones BUT there are some down sides. The headphone cord has a habit of getting tangled and twisting over time and once this happens, it is pretty difficult to completely undo the damage. This is just a bit of a pain at first, but can eventually cause audible problems. I have undertaken a few repairs myself - replacing/resoldering the headphone cord - but really, best just to take care from the start.

Even so, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending these headphones to anyone looking for headphones at around this sort of price. In fact, at twice the price there is still not much genuine competition for the SR60s, aside from the other models in Grado's SR range. Certainly, anyone about to drop £200 on a certain, rapper-endorsed brand of cans, should audition a set of these and see who beats who!

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Buy them!!

About 22 years ago [is it really that long!] I bought my first "quality" headphones - Beyerdynamic DT350's. That was the start of a long love affair. I loved everything about them. The sound was unbelievable [I'm not an expert so can't quote frequency ranges etc etc but lets just say they were perfection. They were also very very comfortable.Unfortunately like all things they eventually [about 3 years ago] started to fail - one of the wire was loose and sound in the left earpiece would cut in and out. At the time I opted to replace them with Sennheiser T130's - wireless - fairly good but well short of the mark. I put up with them for a while but went back the the Beyer's until my son stood on them and I had to accept that they were finished. I shopped about, read numerous reviews and eventually decided to try the Grados. As per previous review my first impression [when I saw the box] was not favourable! However on opening the box the design appealed to me - again as said before it is pretty old school but it appeals to me. I popped them on and was blown away! Sound quality is out of this world - I would say it does not match the Beyers but they had the advantage of having 20+years to bed in. I don't find them as comfortable as the Beyers but that's not to say they are uncomfortable. Overall I think they will in time become worthy successors.

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Great cans. Highly recommended.

One of my bugbears in life is people who impact on the lives of strangers. This might be littering, smoking or, more to the point, being noisy. At university I was unfortunate enough to live next to a couple of sets of really noisy, inconsiderate neighbours - and it drove me bonkers. It's for this reason, when I decided to buy a flat, one of the first things I shopped for was a good pair of headphones.

Being a slight (but only slight) hifi nerd, I thought I'd treat myself to something a little more expensive than I usually spend (I think the most I'd spend previously on headphones was around £40) - reading reviews, it became apparent that the Grado's are the pair of choice for < £100, so I decided to give them a go.

The first thing I noticed when I got the headphones delivered was just how dated the packaging looked - it wasn't so much "hi-tech hifi" - more like "antique action man" - dull cardboard case in washed out colours - but never being one to judge a book by its cover, I cracked them open. Once inside the box, my perception shifted rapidly. The phones themselves are obviously well constructed and really good looking for my taste. Using a fair slab of retro, they look like they wouldn't be out of place on a machine gunner flying over Vietnam - and to me, that is awesome.

The actually speaker units were somewhat larger than I was expecting - being around 70mm diameter - these are definitely full sized cans, not pocket headphones. The cable, too, is definitely full sized - around 5mm thick, 2m long and joined between the two speaker units in the middle, like a stethescope. It would be pretty hard to just wrap excess cable around your iPod and stick it in your pocket.

The speaker units are very well articulated, spinning around freely vertically and rocking back and forth equally smoothly horizontally. They can also be pushed up and down for adjustment, requiring just the right amount of force - easy enough to keep control, hard enough that they don't slip. I find that this adjust-ability ensures a really snug fit, comfortable enough for prolonged listening. Between the speaker units, the band is constructed of thick leather (35mm?) covering a metal band. Very comfy.

Where the SR60's really come into their own, of course, is in the sound. Pushed through an amplifier, I'm able to hear instruments in the mid-range that I never even knew were playing on the track before. The music sounds almost "de-constructed", with each individual sound clear and distinct - almost as if the band is in the room with you. Really amazing to listen to - and you really feel you're getting the best out of the equipment you have them plugged into. The bass is also palpable. Whilst maybe not "vibrating" your ear drums in the way isolation headphones, might - the bass is strong and direct.

Sadly, I don't find the sound *quite* as impressive when plugged into a non-amplified source, like an iPod (which you can do, thanks to the 3.5mm jack provided) - the midrange sounds a little more stifled - and the bass seems a little underpowered - like the speakers just aren't being given quite enough juice. The SR60s are still, however, a great listen and still surpass cheaper headphones for sheer sound quality - and comfort.

I've also used these headphones for playing the Xbox 360 through a stereo amp and they really do make the soundtrack of games spring to life - each gunshot seems more realistic, each voice comes over clearer and music really punches and drives the game along (I was particularly impressed with Devil May Cry 4, which I bought around the same time as these headphones..).

The limitations of the SR60, when there are any, are purely down to the kind of device they are, rather than anything specific about Grado's design or build - they are bulky, so hard to carry about. They require amplification to get the most out of them. They're open-backed, so you can't listen to loud music on a bus without the whole bus hearing it as well (another bugbear of mine!) - I guess some may find the styling a little too old-sckool for their taste, too - but I simply refuse to mark them down for this.

Overall, then, I can't find fault with these headphones - sure, they're a little costly, but if I think about the amount I spend on CDs, MP3s, DVDs, Games - these headphones let me enjoy the sound more on all of them - and for only a couple of pence per disc - a bargain, I think.

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For £100 I don't think any other headphones can touch these.

This is a review for the Grado SR 60i, a slightly improved version of the original. I paid £79.99 for these headphones from Richersounds this time last year. I've had a lot of headphones over the years including many of the big German brands. These are the most expensive headphones I have bought but only by a small margin.

These cans some how manage to sound very lively without sounding bright or tiring. I listen to mainly rock, pop and punk and these headphones just bring the music alive. I mainly use it with my HIFI separates system but they sound good what ever I use. The higher the volume the more these headphones want to dance and before you know it they transform you into a festival with 100,000 people in the crowd.

These headphones are coloured in the sense that they add their own tonality however they sound so good what ever they have done works. The bass is very deep but also very well timed, there is no boom here, the vocals are slightly on the thick side which works brilliantly for music especial y rock and punk where recordings can be of poor quality. The vocals never drown out the music though which is what happens on many cheaper headphones.

They are fairly comfortable but after a few hours they can start to clamp too much. I've head more comfortable headphones but listening to them for more than a few hours will probably result in hearing damage anyway!

The build quality cannot match the Germans but these are hand built in a small factory in New York so quality probably varies from one pair to another. I've probably used mine for three hours a day for the past 400 days so they have certainly lasted.

For less than £100 I don't think there is anything which can offer the same amount of musicality. These headphones just sing and separate all the instruments in perfect realism. Being open backed they also sound very open and you're never aware you have two mini speakers clamped onto your head.

As for value for money this is as good as it gets, they may cost ten times more than £10 pair but the sound quality is more than ten times as good. It is the difference between night and day, its the difference between listening to the band live and listening it to on your cars CD player.

The only downside is they are too big to take out in public and being open back they leak a lot of sound. These are strictly indoor headphones for use when you want to listen to music in the early hours without keeping your neighbours awake.

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Excellent sound, comfortable, portable(ish), durable, 5*!

Hi there, and welcome to my review of the GRADO SR-60 headphones. I have owned these 'phones, also known as 'CANS', for six months now and I have to say that they are excellent....but of course this is subjective! What sounds good to me may not sound good to you!

First of all;

Build Quality-

This is excellent, the SR-60's are built very solidly, they certainly do not feel flimsy. The earcups are of a rigid plastic construction with quite thick foam earpads, (these are replaceable with a number of different types of pad depending on your preference for comfort and overall sound).

A point to note is that these cans are supra aural, they sit ON the ear, not around it.

The headband is made of a black vinyl-like material. This could be a bit more comfortable with the addition of some padding as there is a metal 'band' that runs from earcup to earcup through the vinyl which may become uncomfortable after long periods of wear.

The 'lead' which terminates in a 3.5mm gold plated stereo jack plug is very sturdy and the thickest I have seen on any headphone to date, and I have owned many....

Comfort -

I find the SR-60's very comfortable, although I did need to bend the headband slightly for a more comfortable 'clamping force', (the pressure of the earcups on the ear itself).

The headband could also be more comfortable, (see above).

The earcups are adjustable up/down for the perfect positioning of the drivers, (speakers), and are very comfortable, the ears do not get too hot or sweaty even after long listening sessions.

Overall, after a little tweaking, these cans are very comfortable even for someone like me who has to wear spectacles.

Sound -

As mentioned earlier, is subjective...! These cans are certainly not 'Lo-Fi', but also not 'Hi-Fi', (Hi-Fi being the ability to reproduce sounds as near to perfection as possible without adding, or omitting, anything to/from those sounds).

I say this because the Grado SR-60's ADD something to the sound, commonly known as 'colouration'. This is bad for the purist looking for true High Fidelity sound reproduction...these cans are not for you, but in this case, for most the colour added to compositions from these cans is a GOOD thing!!

They make Rock and Jazz 'exciting' and very pleasant to listen to! More....FUN!! The Bass is heavy and low, but tight, (it does not spill over into the other sounds in the music obscuring them), which means that the treble, (the higher pitched parts of the music), stay clear and bright, but not too bright, you will hear details you had not heard before with ANY Earbuds/IEM's supplied with an mp3 player!

The soundstage is quite large, (perception of space between instruments, ie. you can pinpoint a guitar playing to the right of you, and the drums coming from the left behind you). You feel as though you are there on stage WITH the band!

This is, in part, due to the 'Open' nature of these headphones. Being 'Open' means that sound is going to 'leak' from them, others will be able to hear what you are listening to even at moderate volume. By the same token, environmental sound will intrude, you will hear other people talking or cars driving past. This should also be considered before purchase.

Conclusion -

An amazing set of cans for the money!!

At this price point they would be hard to beat, I certainly have not heard anything better without spending another £30-£40+ !!

Another plus is that they are only 32ohm impedance, this means they work fine with your small portable mp3 player without the need for an amplifier.

Excellent sound, comfortable, portable(ish), durable, 5*!!!

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The best sub-hundred quid pair of headphones I've tried

I was recently shopping for headphones for my boyfriend. We live in a semi-detached house, and so we can't turn up our hifi too loud without annoying the neighbours. However, we both like listening to a wide variety of music - and we like it loud! Therefore, it seemed like a good idea to buy him a decent pair of headphones for his birthday.

Being an audiophile nerd of disturbing proportions, I auditioned loads of cans costing from around one hundred to five hundred quid, trying to find him the perfect pair. I know that probably seems like a lot of money, but bear in mind that these are in many ways designed for use as a replacement for speakers for a system, not for jogging along on the road with an ipod. This isn't just a distinction about looks or convenience. Different pairs of headphones have different impedance levels: there are low impedance cans, and high impedance cans. MP3 players have a built-in amp, but it's not very large or powerful in such small devices. You therefore need a low impedance set of 'phones to use while in the gym. If, however, you are seeking to plug a pair of headphones into a powerful amp, though, a pair of high impedance cans will give you much better sound.

The Grado SR60 headphones are a bit of a legend, so I was looking forward to hearing them. The design has now been updated, resulting in the SR60i ('i' for 'improved'!), reputed to be even more crystal-clear in its rendition of a track.

I was very impressed with the appearance of the Grado SR 60 'phones. Get them out of a rather lacklustre box, and you have a very nicely designed, carefully weighted pair of cans. They feel good to wear - light, but sturdy - and very comfortable. Their slightly retro feel and high build quality were really appealing. They look considerably more expensive than their ninety quid price tag, and it's only when you look closely that you notice differences to the more expensive SR325 cans in the form of a plastic headband (the higher-end headphones use leather). However, this has no impact on the comfort of the design: I could happily wear these for hours.

Plug them in, however, and the results are even more impressive. They were head and shoulders above other sub-hundred quid headphones that I auditioned. Even highly complex classical tracks were crisply articulated at the top end, while drum and bass sounded suitably meaty and well punctuated at the bottom. Fast passages were smoothly and deftly rendered. There was none of the wooliness of mid-range sound that plagued other cans in this price bracket. In fact, they compared very favourably to loudspeakers in the two-hundred quid pricebracket, proving that you don't have to spend an absolute king's ransom to get decent quality sound. No wonder they have been awarded a What HiFi gong for best headphones.

The Grado SR60s are fairly high impedence, but they are just about alright with an ipod, though the bass does suffer a bit. They do sound much, much better through an amp. However, if you do want to use them on the move, you can: the jack attached to the phones is one of the small 3.5mm ones, suitable for use with most MP3 players and amps.

Unfortunately these are not great headphones to use at work, because (like several other members of the Grado SR series) they are open-backed and therefore leak a considerable amount of sound. This is necessary to achieve the astonishing range and transparency that they achieve at this price, but it does mean that your ability to annoy colleagues with a tinny, leaked version of your music is greatly enhanced!

Despite spending several hours listening to these, we did not eventually purchase them. The only reason, however, was that the sound quality was not quite up to the astonishing levels of fidelity produced by the more expensive Grado SR325i (review forthcoming). However, at the price point, nothing else came close. Five stars.

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If you can put up with the open design, these are THE headphone to buy at this price point.

Audiophiles are strange people; training as a Sound Engineer and working with high end audio equipment I've come across quite a few of them and come to the conclusion that they are, for the main part deluded. Many seem to be under the impression that you need to spend thousands of pounds on equipment to achieve the ultimate audio experience - this may be true for the most part, but it doesn't mean that a setup costing a tenth of the price can't produce similar results. I'm glad to announce that the Grado SR60's are the hidden gems of the headphone world.

Costing around £80 online, these headphone punch way above their leauge; sure, you're not going to get the smooth, lush sound produced by a pair of the Denon AH-D7000's, but they blow other headphones in their price bracket out of the water with a smooth flowing bass response and crisp, detailed highs. I use mine for listening to classical, rock and electonica and the SR60's handle all of these genres with ease.

One thing to note about the SR60's is that they employ and open-back design. This allows them to have excellent sonic transparency (ie: your music will sound incredible through them) and reduces fatigue (so you can listen to more music for longer before you ears start to hurt) - however, it does mean that they "spill" quite loudly and don't block out the sounds around you. As a result, these aren't suitable for use on public transport, unless you really enjoy annoying your fellow commuters.

The Grado's use a low impedance design which mean your iPod will have just about enough "oompth" to driver them a deliver high quality, however a dedicated amplifier (or most computer's headphone out sockets) will do a better job and offer you a richer bass response. The headphone cable is a nice and chunky Y design and doesn't get all tangled up by itself. A 3.5mm headphone jack rests on the end which is far more useful than the 6.5mm affair you find on some higher end headphones. The over-the-skull headband is comfortable to wear for long periods and have plenty of range when it comes to adjustment.

It's a real shame because this is the only limiting factor of the Grado's, however I am fortunate enough to be able to use them at work without annoying my co-workers. If the SR60's employed a close back design and delivered the same quality they would probably cost over twice as much - but if you are able to listen to music in a suitable environment without annoying others then these come highly recommended.